Monday, June 28th, 2010

I’ve been pretty busy lately with a few different projects, one being a series of performances with a new dance troupe here in New Orleans, others including a Challenge with @InstigatingAndi on Content Strategy, and a site redesign for The Dance Nomad (in progress picture). So I share with you a few posts and articles that I found inspiring, useful and powerful today.

A consummate professional is constructive, positive, is motivated and has the ability to motivate others, displays generosity, and takes the high road. If you want to be seen as a professional in your career and in your life, you must develop strong leadership skills. And leaders are most often defined by their reactions to situations, rather than their actions.

This past Saturday night, I went to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. They a modern dance group based out of New York and they are in a word INSPIRING! You don’t just “go to see them,” you experience them. This new production featured a new piece called “UPTOWN”. This was a piece choreographed by Matthew Rushing and inspired by the Harlem Renaissance of the early 20th-century.

Opt in policies are generally the most effective and considered to be best practice. This is where Facebook made their fatal mistake and where arts organizations need to ensure they are excelling. Organizations only want people to receive information that want to receive it. By allowing people to opt in to programs, the organization is letting the individual take responsibility and targeting individuals who want more contact with the organization.

The Lindy blogosphere is surprisingly larger than you think. When I started this post I thought I was just going to describe a handful of sites, but once I was done compiling URL’s I came up with over 50.

If you any suggestions for articles and resources for dancers, send them my way.

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

If you want an impossible way to do business, it’s to never mention it.

Your first priority in a dance business, whether you are advertising private lessons, group lessons, or performance availability, is to put the word out.

Then repeat it.

Whether you a performer looking for work, a dance teacher looking to organize a class, or a studio owner looking to fill their classes, you need to learn to spread the word that you’re there–ready, willing and able to fulfill the needs of students or theaters.

These days it’s cheaper than ever to target your market with online tools, and even more important to keep track of which tools work best for your target market. Traditional print advertising is expensive and untargeted, you don’t have the budget of Coca-Cola and you don’t want to emulate their marketing strategies.

People look to Google to find local classes, events and performance artists, not your local classifieds section anymore. Location-dependent networks like Yelp.com showcase businesses of all types within specific neighborhoods and cities, are you listed?

Putting the word out is really about hanging out your shingle for everyone to see.

Tell everyone you know that you are teaching dance classes, looking for teaching opportunities, opening a dance studio, putting on a performance or looking to perform at events.

It rarely hurts to ask, it never helps to remain silent.

Services to Get The Word Out

Google Local

This is Google’s local business index that comes up in Google searches before even the the top ranked websites. It’s incredibly easy to add your business to Google Local, all you have to do is go here and they walk you through the process.

Yelp.com

One of the most trafficked location-based index of businesses, Yelp.com is a great way to add your business to your local digital map (you’ll have to create an account and tag your business). Yelp includes ratings and reviews, so it helps to get a few current customers to jump on Yelp and give their feedback.

Facebook

Creating a Facebook following allows you to tap into an existing and very active online community. You can create a Page for your business and create events that users can share with their entire network with the click of a button. A great way to take word of mouth to the next level.

Twitter

While not a location service, Twitter is an incredibly vibrant and active information network. Local communities often employ hashtags to post local events and happenings which can help spread the word about your business. A word of mouth information network that can spread swiftly.

Website

If you don’t have a website for your dance business, you’re missing out on business. The internet is #1 when people look to find dance classes usually, and if you don’t have a website it’s very unlikely they’ll go to you first. There are some exceptional and affordable options out there for basic website creation that let you easily manage your own content. If you need a website created, I offer basic services to that effect – just e-mail me.

E-Mail Newsletters

In this day almost everyone has an e-mail address and collecting them is even better than collecting phone numbers. Creating a mailing list of individuals who have attended your events, and classes, gives you the opportunity to easily reach out to them again. And former customers are often your best customers.